November 8, 2011
OUR REFUGE IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE
Nahum 1
Kyle Bourne
Central Truth
Speaking through the prophet Nahum, God declares many of His attributes to Judah and promises that He will judge the Assyrians for their wickedness.
Key Verse | Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
(Nahum 1:7)
Nahum 1
1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
God's Wrath Against Nineveh
2
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD is avenging and wrathful;
the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4
He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the bloom of Lebanon withers.
5
The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.
6
Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
7
The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
8
But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
1
1:8
Hebrew of her place
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9
What do you plot against the LORD?
He will make a complete end;
trouble will not rise up a second time.
10
For they are like entangled thorns,
like drunkards as they drink;
they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
11
From you came one
who plotted evil against the LORD,
a worthless counselor.
12
Thus says the LORD,
“Though they are at full strength and many,
they will be cut down and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13
And now I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds apart.”
14
The LORD has given commandment about you:
“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from the house of your gods I will cut off
the carved image and the metal image.
I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
15
2
1:15
Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him
who brings good news,
who publishes peace!
Keep your feasts, O Judah;
fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the worthless pass through you;
he is utterly cut off.
Dive Deeper | Nahum 1
Have you ever gone through a particularly tough trial? One that shakes you to the core, putting to the test the things that you believe? I bet at the time you would have loved nothing more than to have someone in your corner who was strong, cared for you deeply, protected you, and stood ready to deliver you.
I went through a time like that with my family during the worst of the financial crisis in 2008-09. My parents taught me from a young age that everything is a gift from God and that even "our" possessions are not really ours. We are just stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
Yet, that long-held belief was put to the test when things seemed to be crashing down all around us. We had a choice: we could either panic and get angry with God, or we could put our trust, imperfect and frail as it was at times, in the God who cares for us and promises to protect us in a time of trouble.
Nahum 1:7 describes God as a stronghold and a refuge for His people. It tells us He is not only good, but that He knows those who choose Him as their security. This is a comforting truth when you are in a day of trouble.
God is not sitting idly by while you undergo various trials. He knows you and knows what you are going through, and He promises to protect those who put their trust in Him amidst the trial. No matter what trial you are going through now or will go through in the future, I pray that you will not put your trust in things that provide a false sense of security. Rather, I pray that you run to the Lord as your stronghold.
Discussion Questions
1. What trials are you currently going through?
2. Practically speaking, what does taking refuge in the Lord look like?
3. What hinders you from taking refuge in the Lord as a first resort? What can you do to guard against these hindrances?
4. Do you genuinely believe that God is good and intimately aware of your trials? If not, why not? What issues do you have against it?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
MICAH 7-HABAKKUK 1 (NOVEMBER 7-11)
Read Micah 7:18-20.
What does verse 18 tell us that God will do for Israel, both concerning their sins and what He shows them? What does it mean to be pardoned from something? How is this showing mercy? (Mercy is defined as not getting what we deserve.) What does verse 19 say God will do to their sins?
Read Psalm 103:11-12.
Just as He removes Israel's sins and throws them into the depths of the ocean (Micah 7:19), what does He do to our sins in Psalm 103:12? When God shows His faithfulness to His people, both the Israelites and us, to whom was the promise originally made that He is fulfilling? (Micah 7:20)
Read Genesis 12:1-3, 22:17-18, and Genesis 28:13-15 to see the actual promises made to Abraham and Jacob.
ACTIVITY: Go online and look up how deep the ocean is. If it is in km, convert it into miles (miles = # of km/1.61). Using that number of miles, look up different distances between major cities. Check out those distances on a map. How does it make you feel that God removes your sins so far from you? Take time to pray and thank Him for His mercy!